Anti-vaccination opponents performed “Ka Mate”, a Maori haka composed around 1820 by Te Rauparaha, the war leader of the Ngāti Toa tribe, in their demonstrations for several last week against vaccine regulations and pandemic restrictions.
“We do not support their views and we do not want our tupuna or iwi to be associated with their message,” the Ngati Toa tribe, or “iwi” in the Maori language, said in a statement. refers to the tribe’s ancestor or “tupuna”.
“Our message to protesters who want to use Ka Mate is to use a different type of haka. We do not endorse the use of Ka Mate for this purpose.”
Although there are many forms of haka composed by different tribes for various purposes and occasions, “Ka Mate” is most widely known as it has been performed by the All Blacks at trial matches. international rugby for decades.
It involved a terrifying performance of rhythmic stamping and chanting, eye roll and tongue sticking out.
New Zealand, the country with the lowest Covid-19 infection rate in the world, has struggled to combat the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus this year, forcing Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to shift from strategy eliminated through lockdown to live with the virus with higher levels of vaccination.
Ardern has set a goal of vaccinating 90% of those eligible by the end of the closures.
About 81% of the eligible population has received two doses of the vaccine but Ardern said on Monday that health authorities have struggled to reach some young Maori due to misinformation about the vaccine. ask for.
“So it’s not just an access issue. We’re trying to fix more of that, and from the vendor conversations I’ve had, it’s one of those things we’re all working on. fight,” Ardern told state broadcaster TVNZ, referring to misinformation.
As of November 13, 76% of Maori had received a dose of the vaccine while 60% were fully vaccinated.
Authorities reported 173 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, bringing New Zealand’s total infections to more than 8,500.
